ArticleNeurotoxicology2016
Blood levels of trace metals and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Article in Neurotoxicology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 66 citations in OpenAlex.
- Risk factors associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis based on the observational study: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2023Pooled it
- Non-genetic risk and protective factors and biomarkers for neurological disorders: a meta-umbrella systematic review of umbrella reviews.BMC medicine · 2021Pooled it
- Military service and related risk factors for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.Acta neurologica Scandinavica · 2021Pooled it
- Aberrations in Oxidative Stress Markers in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity · 2019Pooled it
- Metal ion dyshomeostasis in neurological disorders: from pathological mechanisms to targeted neuroprotective and regenerative strategies.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Review
- Metal-Induced Genotoxic Events: Possible Distinction Between Sporadic and Familial ALS.Toxics · 2025Review
- Multiple metal exposures associate with higher amyotrophic lateral sclerosis risk and mortality independent of genetic risk and correlate to self-reported exposures: a case-control study.Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry · 2025Article
- Study of plasma essential element concentrations to explore markers of acute myocardial infarction.Biometals : an international journal on the role of metal ions in biology, biochemistry, and medicine · 2025Article
- Pathogenic RBiochemistry · 2024Article
- Trace Elements in Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia: The Current State of Knowledge.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Metal mixtures associate with higher amyotrophic lateral sclerosis risk and mortality independent of genetic risk and correlate to self-reported exposures: a case-control study.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2024Article
- Dietary Intake of Micronutrients and Disease Severity in Patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.Metabolites · 2023Article
- Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Neurodegenerative Disorders: Role of Nutritional Supplementation.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Review
- Exposing the role of metals in neurological disorders: a focus on manganese.Trends in molecular medicine · 2022Review
- A perspective on persistent toxicants in veterans and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: identifying exposures determining higher ALS risk.Journal of neurology · 2022Review
- Key Disease Mechanisms Linked to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Spinal Cord Motor Neurons.Frontiers in molecular neuroscience · 2022Article
- Association of cerebral spinal fluid copper imbalance in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2022Article
- Review
- Genetically Predicted Circulating Concentrations of Micronutrients and Risk of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Mendelian Randomization Study.Frontiers in genetics · 2021Article
- Manganese-induced neurodegenerative diseases and possible therapeutic approaches.Expert review of neurotherapeutics · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Some trace metals may increase risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), whereas others may be beneficial. Our goal was to examine associations of ALS with blood levels of selenium (Se), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and manganese (Mn). We conducted a case-control study of 163 neurologist confirmed patients from the National Registry of Veterans with ALS and 229 frequency-matched veteran controls. We measured metal levels in blood using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and estimated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations between ALS and a doubling of metal levels using unconditional logistic regression, adjusting for age, gender, and race/ethnicity. ALS was inversely associated with both Se (OR=0.4, 95% CI: 0.2-0.8) and Zn (OR=0.4, 95% CI: 0.2-0.8). Inverse associations with Se were stronger in patients with bulbar compared to spinal onset, worse function, longer diagnostic delay, and longer collection delay; inverse associations with Zn were stronger for those with worse function and longer collection delay. In contrast, ALS was positively associated with Cu (OR=3.4, 95% CI: 1.5-7.9). For Mn, no linear trend was evident (OR=0.9, 95% CI: 0.6-1.3, Ptrend=0.51). Associations of Se, Zn, Cu, and Mn with ALS were independent of one another. Adjustment for lead levels attenuated the positive association of ALS with Cu but did not change associations with Se, Zn, or Mn. In conclusion, Se and Zn were inversely associated with ALS, particularly among those with worse function, suggesting that supplementation with these metals may benefit such patients, while Cu was positively associated with ALS. Deficiencies of Se and Zn and excess Cu may have a role in ALS etiology.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.